


We're Walking the Tightrope

by GinnyK



Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [9]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Comfort, Gibbs is talking, Hanging Out, post ep In a Nutshell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: Post ep for In a Nutshell.  Just a Friday night with Gibbs and Jack.
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1351900
Comments: 15
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

As Jack turned the corner towards her office, she saw a bright pink post it note on her door. Since everyone else in her life would just text her if they had something to say, a big and rather goofy grin came across her face as she reached to pull it free.

_Headed for the diner._

_Meet me? JG_

She loved how he felt the need to sign his initials, like she wouldn’t recognize his neat, angular handwriting. Jack opened the door to her office and tossed the file she had been holding onto the desk before reaching for the wooden box Gibbs had made for her the Christmas before last. It held a place of honor on the corner of the desk, where she saw it every time she sat down. With a smile she ran her finger over the carving of the Rorschach print. She glanced over her shoulder at the painting of the elephant which had months ago replaced the Rorschach print which had hung there since she started at NCIS. The print now hung in her hallway at home. Jack opened the box and pulled out the random pieces of paper, sticky notes, fortunes from their favorite Chinese takeout place. 

_Ephemera_ , Ducky would call the contents of the box. 

Ridiculous schoolgirl crush mementos, Jack thought to herself as she flipped through the contents before putting the pink sticky note on the top. She smiled to herself as she put the lid back on the box and set it back where it belonged.

Jack grabbed her bag and headed for her car and the diner.

********

Jack pulled behind Gibbs’ truck. She shut off her engine and tilted the mirror to check her reflection. A frown came across her face as she realized just how tired she looked after the long week. She ran her fingers through her hair, doing what she could without a brush.

She grabbed her purse and got out of her car with a goofy grin on her face.

The bell on the diner door chimed as she pushed it open. Jack took a quick glance around and didn’t see Gibbs. His usual booth was empty.

“Evening, Jack. He’s in the men’s room,” Elaine called from behind the counter, answering the unasked question. She pointed towards a coffee mug at the counter. Jack nodded her thanks as she hung up her coat on the hook by the door. “Coffee?” Elaine asked as she refilled Gibbs’ mug.

“No, decaf tea, please,” Jack replied as she slid onto the stool next to his.

The diner was fairly empty for a Friday night. There was a family of four in the corner, 2 young boys and their parents, two single customers at either end of the counter and two teenagers sitting on the same side of a booth, sharing a piece of chocolate cake and a milkshake. 

Jack turned to her left as she heard the door to the men’s room open.

“Hey cowboy,” she said with a smile as Gibbs walked towards her.

“Hey yourself, thanks for coming,” he said as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before sitting down.

“Well, how could I resist such an old school invitation,” Jack teased as she reached to squeeze his hand.

“Cute,” Gibbs muttered as he reached for his coffee.

Elaine set Jack’s tea in front of her with a smile. “You two eating?” she asked, reaching under the counter for a menu.

Both nodded and Elaine set a menu in front Jack, knowing full well Gibbs had long since memorized the contents. And being the creature of habit he was, he basically only ordered half a dozen different things anyway.

“Give us a minute,” Gibbs said with a little salute of his coffee. 

“Sure honey, you just give a yell when you’re ready,” Elaine replied with a wink as she turned to grab a waiting order from under the lights.

“Let me guess, you forgot to eat dinner again?” Jack teased as she opened the menu.

“And what’s your excuse?” Gibbs teased right back as he nudged Jack with his shoulder.

“Oh, no excuse, I know I didn’t eat,” Jack laughed.

Elaine came back after getting a little wave from her favorite NCIS agent. Gibbs motioned towards Jack to go first.

“Pancakes and well-done bacon please,” Jack answered, handing the menu back.

“And you honey?” Elaine asked. Jack smiled at her use of “honey”.

“Scrambled eggs and white toast,” Gibbs answered as he slid the coffee mug back and forth between his hands. He stared straight ahead, knowing what was coming next from the woman sitting next to him.

“So, what’s going on?” Jack asked as she reached to rub his back a little. “That’s what you order when you don’t feel well.”

“I don’t know, tired, throat’s a little sore,” he admitted. Jack could hear his voice was a bit raspy, something she’d noticed down in the evidence garage, but things had gotten so busy and she didn’t have another chance to really check in with him. She pressed a hand to his forehead, a move he shook off with a snort. He was a bit warm, but Jack figured that mentioning it right then and there wasn’t the smartest thing she could do. “Sorry,” Gibbs whispered. “Yeah, feeling rather crappy right now,” he admitted. “And old and tired,” he added with a sigh.

“Thanks for being honest. How about we eat something, head back to your place and curl up on the couch. It’s Friday and I don’t know about you, but I have no plans for the weekend.”

“Yeah, and no surprise to you, I don’t have any plans either,” Gibbs snorted.

They sat in silence while they waited for their food, lost in their thoughts about the cases they’d had during the week. 

“Here you two go,” Elaine said as she set their plates in front of them. “More coffee Gibbs?”

“He’s had enough,” Jack said as she put her hand over the now empty mug. “Water, when you get a minute, thanks,” Jack added, being careful not to look her companion in the eye.

“I like this one,” Elaine whispered to Gibbs as minute later as she set a glass of water in front of him, taking away the coffee mug.

“Am I the first to get Elaine’s seal of approval?” Jack asked curiously as she dug into her pancakes.

“You’re the first one she’s ever given a second glance to,” Gibbs teased as he motioned for Jack to pass him the salt and pepper. “Not that I’ve brought many women here on a date.”

“Good to know,” Jack teased as she turned her attention back to her food.

Gibbs ate a little and drank the glass of water which had been thrust upon him by Jack. He eventually pushed away his plate and put his elbows on the counter, propping his chin on his clasped hands.

“You okay?” Jack asked as she nudged him with her knee.

“Just thinkin’ about something you said this week,” he muttered, looking straight ahead. 

“Well, I talk a lot so you might have to narrow it down just a bit,” Jack teased. The teasing fell flat. “Jethro, talk to me,” she whispered as she turned her stool a little towards him. She reached over and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his knee, turning his stool a little.

“Downstairs in the evidence garage before I was going to talk to Claire, you said to me ‘connect with her first, before you act like you’, you remember that?” Gibbs said quietly as he stared straight ahead in the direction of the bakery case.

“I remember,” Jack said. She never in a million years thought her comment would have made him think twice.

“I know it shouldn’t have bothered me and believe me, I’m as surprised as you that it did. But it did get to me. I know you said it out of concern for Claire and I know how I can be,” Gibbs explained, showing an unusual amount of insight as he reluctantly turned his head a little to meet Jack’s gaze.

“Hey, If it bothered you, then I’m really sorry,” Jack said as she reached to cup his cheek. “How about we get out of here, go to your place, put on our pajamas, curl up and talk about it?” Jack said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “If that’s what you want,” she added, giving him the option of talking or not. She wasn’t going to push. Hanging out with Gibbs on a Friday night, no matter what they did, or didn’t do, was her idea of the perfect way to start a weekend.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Gibbs agreed as he reached to grab his wallet out of his pocket. He dropped some money on the counter while Jack grabbed their coats. They yelled good-bye to Elaine over their shoulders as they stepped out into the chilly night.

“You okay to drive home?” Jack asked as Gibbs wearily climbed into his truck.

“It’s a mile. I’ll be fine,” he assured her with a wink and a dip of his chin. Jack closed the door and headed for her car.

Jack slipped into her car and started the engine. As she slipped on her seatbelt, she watched Gibbs’ truck turn the corner and disappear. She was trying to figure out why her seemingly benign comment had struck something in him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs pulled into the driveway and cut the truck’s engine. He ran a hand over his face before reaching for his backpack. Slipping it over his shoulder, he slid out of the truck and trudged up the walk as he heard Jack’s car coming down the street. With a sigh, he sat down on the top step as he watched Jack pull her Mini into the driveway behind his truck, where it fit perfectly.

Jack gave a tired sigh as she picked up her purse and reached behind the passenger’s seat to grab her go bag. She closed the car door with her hip and started up the walk. 

“Is Spring ever coming to DC?” Jack muttered as she sat down next to Gibbs, nudging him with her shoulder.

“It doesn’t start for another few days,” Gibbs helpfully pointed out as he threw his arm around Jack and pressed a kiss to her temple. She snuggled against his side for a minute. “Hell, of a week, huh?” Gibbs muttered after a minute.

“Seems like every week has been that way for quite a while,” Jack agreed. 

“It’s getting old. But there’s a couple bright spots. I heard from Finn yesterday, we talked for a little while. He sounds good, he misses us. Maybe we can go up for a visit over the summer,” Gibbs said, just making plans for himself and Jack months in the future without thinking twice or missing a beat.

“That’s one bright spot. Any others?” Jack teased. Gibbs didn’t voice an answer, instead just lifting up their clasped hands and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Jack just gave a little teary smile at the gesture.

“Come on, let’s get you inside,” Jack suggested a minute later as Gibbs tried his best to stifle a yawn. 

“Yeah,” Gibbs muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. He picked up his backpack and Jack’s go bag while she opened the front door. Her phone rang and she walked down the hall to talk in private.

Gibbs tossed their bags on the couch and turned on the light on the end table before heading for the kitchen. He slipped off his coat and dropped it over a kitchen chair. He heard Jack bid goodbye to whoever she was talking to and head towards the kitchen. “Bourbon?” he asked over his shoulder as he reached for the bottle on top of the fridge.

“No,” Jack answered in a tone that made him realize she wasn’t just answering for herself. 

Muttering under his breath a little, Gibbs put the Bourbon back where it belonged and grabbed a bottle of Gatorade out of the fridge instead. He’d grown rather fond of Gatorade, thanks to Phineas. He dropped wearily into a kitchen chair with a sigh. Jack wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later and poured herself a glass of water, leaning against the counter for a minute. Both were quiet.

“Why don’t you go get changed?” Jack eventually suggested as moved to stand behind him, ruffling his hair a little.

“Yeah, as soon as I can haul my ass out of this chair,” Gibbs muttered. Jack stepped in front of him and tipped up his chin to get a good look at him. Even in the dim light she wasn’t happy with what she saw.

“You look exhausted,” she whispered as she kissed his forehead. “And you’re pretty warm so let’s go,” Jack announced as she held out her hands to pull him to his feet. “Let me grab my bag. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Gibbs slowly headed for the stairs while Jack locked up and grabbed her bag. He was in the bathroom when she got upstairs. She heard a groan as she stepped into his room.

“Problem?” she called over her shoulder as she kicked off her boots. She heard the bathroom door open and Gibbs came into the room dressed in plaid boxers and t-shirt, carrying the thermometer. 

“Can’t read the damn thing,” he muttered as he grabbed his glasses off the nightstand. “100.5,” he announced with a sigh.

“Okay. So throat hurts, what else?” Jack asked as she motioned for him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

“Headache. Just exhausted, as I seem to be every Friday night,” Gibbs muttered as he handed Jack the thermometer.

“Okay, get under the covers, I’ll get some Advil,” Jack said as she grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathroom. 

She got changed, brushed her teeth and got Gibbs some Advil. When she returned he was still sitting up with a book in his lap but at least he was under the covers.

“Here, take these,” Jack said, handing him the pills and the bottle of Gatorade he’d left on the dresser. “You need anything else?” she asked as she pulled the covers back on her side of the bed. Gibbs just shook his head as Jack crawled in next to him. When he made no effort to start a conversation, Jack chose to also keep quiet. Instead she grabbed a magazine off the nightstand and a pair of reading glasses out of the drawer. Ten minutes or so passed by and she could tell he wasn’t really reading as he had been on the same page for 5 minutes. Without looking in his direction, Jack set her magazine aside and reached her hand out to gently touch his. He took a deep breath and set aside his book and glasses. He turned out the lamp and scooted over, ending up with his head on her shoulder, arm draped over her waist, their legs tangled up under the covers.

“I know how I am,” he started quietly. “And I’m working on it with Grace. But I have no idea why your comment bothered me.”

“It’s because you’re working on it, because you’re gaining some insight. That’s why it bothered you. But Jethro, you have to know I didn’t say it out of anything other than concern for Claire’s well being.”

“Jack, I know that. And of course, you were right, it worked. I had talked to her in interrogation before the evidence garage but hadn’t really gotten anywhere. We eventually made a connection over her nutshells. She’s quite talented. Could use her skills in the basement. Anyway, I‘m just not used to....” He trailed off, not quite getting his words together.

“Used to caring what other people think about you?” Jack guessed quietly as she ran her hand down his arm.

“Something like that,” he admitted. “If this whole caring what other people say thing is part of working through things with Grace, then I’m not a fan of that part,” he teased.

“You’re a fan of any part of therapy?” Jack teased.

“Not really a fan, but I get the need for it, sort of,” he muttered.

“Anyway, I think that’s probably part of it, but I think it also has something to do with burning rule #10.”

“Yeah, not sure that was the best idea. Seems like I’m personally involved in every damn case lately. Not just Phineas and his mom, that was unavoidable. But even this one.”

“Tell me about this one,” Jack said quietly as she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Gibbs slid down a little, ending up with his head in Jack’s lap. He took a deep breath to get his thoughts together. Jack brushed back his hair and waited quietly.

“Do you really want to hear me ramble? I know we have, or we need, boundaries with the “feelings” stuff,” Gibbs smirked as he glanced to look Jack in the eye.

“Yes, there is a fine line,” Jack chuckled. “And we’re walking a tightrope at times, about more than just feelings, but as your friend I sure as hell want to hear about what’s bothering you,” Jack said as she did her best to explain as she shifted a little, putting a pillow under Gibbs’ head. She rubbed gentle circles over his temples with her thumbs, trying to get him to relax a little. He took a few deep breaths and she could feel him start to unwind a little under her touch.

“It was little things, stupid things. Parts of conversations that brought up stuff from my life, my past, memories and whatever,” Gibbs started softly.

“Name one,” Jack said simply, knowing that getting him to take the first baby step was sometimes all it took for him to start talking.

“Claire asked me if anyone I’d ever loved had been killed,” he said quietly as he fidgeted with the edge of the plaid comforter.

“Did you answer?”

“Not really. I don’t know why. Same thing happens when people ask me if I have kids,” Gibbs said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I mean, what should I say? Saying yes to both leads to more questions, more conversations and looks of pity from people I don’t really want to let into my life any more than I absolutely have to.”

“I get it. Those are just things you need to deal with on a case by case basis, for lack of a better phrase. But I do think you need to stop automatically taking the easy road. As you’re learning, talking isn’t the worst thing.”

“Suppose not,” Gibbs whispered as he rubbed his eyes.

“You want to turn out the lights and go to sleep now?” Jack asked as she leaned over to kiss him, he looked exhausted but so far hadn’t made any effort to close his eyes.

“I’m okay. Anyway, the last time I saw Fisher he made mention of how the original murder had taken place in a small town that I had never heard of and people like me didn’t care about places like that. Couldn’t be further from the truth. But again, I didn’t say anything. What would have been the point?”

“In that particular case, probably won’t have been any point, that man was pretty much an ass,” Jack teased.

“Yeah, he certainly had his moments,” Gibbs agreed with a chuckle of his own.

“Was it just the case that got you thinking this week?” Jack asked curiously. She had a theory but wanted him to but voice to it, if her theory was true.

“No, of course not, but you knew that already,” Gibbs smirked as he rolled over onto his side, wrapping his hand around Jack’s hip. “It was the way the team was cleaning things out, going through things, giving things away.”

“Yeah, I figured. Bishop certainly got into the whole thing.”

“A little too much if you ask me,” Gibbs said as he rolled back over and crawled up to the head of the bed. “I told her she couldn’t just give things away to forget. We have to evolve, we can’t just erase it all,” he said as he shoved his left hand under the pillow, trying to get comfortable.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jethro Gibbs?” Jack snorted, hoping teasing was the way to go. The smirk and sweet kiss to her forehead let her know her teasing was just fine.

“You worried Ellie’s going to leave?” Jack asked as she reached out to rub his back. “She hasn’t said anything to me, before you ask.”

“I’m always worried one of my “kids” will quit, or worse,” he admitted quietly as he reached to find her hand under the covers. “Bishop’s been different lately. More focused, more serious. You should have a seen her trip that suspect. It was something…it was something someone else would have done.”

“Ziva?” Jack guessed.

“Yeah. Anyway, the whole Marie what’s-her-name stuff got me to thinking I should clean some stuff out,” Gibbs pivoted, wanting to change the subject away from Ziva. He knew she was still far from Jack’s favorite person.

“Marie Kondo. And you did get rid of stuff recently, when you fixed the other bedroom up for Finn.”

“Yeah and it felt good. I actually did get rid of stuff, didn’t just toss it up in the attic, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t,” Jack answered quickly, a little too quickly. Gibbs just gave her a pointed look. “Okay so I was. I’m proud of you. And by the way, you can mention Ziva’s name. She’s not my favorite person, that’s true. But I understand she was a big part of the team, of your life, for a long time. And I’m happy for her and for Tony and Tali. They’re a family now, and family’s everything. Right?”

“Yep. I guess Ziva is just another one of those “tightrope” subjects.”

“Yeah, she is,” Jack whispered. “I hope someday she won’t be,” she said honestly.

“I hope that happens too. And if it takes more time, I understand. It’s something Tony and I have talked about. And Grace and I,” he added quietly as he stretched a bit, trying to get comfortable. He swallowed, wincing a little.

“I think you’ve talked enough for tonight,” Jack said with a little smile. Gibbs agreed with a little nod.

“You need anything?” Jack asked as she pressed the back of her hand to his warm cheek.

“Glass of water. I finished the Gatorade. And I suppose an Ambien wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“Good idea. I’ll be right back,” Jack said as she slipped out from under the covers and grabbed his robe off the back of the door.

“I’ll need that robe back,” he teased as she headed down the hall. He was almost at the point where he needed to buy some t-shirts and flannels, thanks to her and to Finn, in the case of the flannel shirts.

Jack poured him a glass of water. She spied the carton of Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer as she reached for the ice cubes. She scooped some into a bowl for herself and grabbed two spoons. With the carton of ice cream in the pocket of his robe, water in one hand and her bowl of ice cream she headed back upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments!!


	3. Chapter 3

Jack stopped by the bathroom to grab the bottle of Ambien out of the medicine cabinet.

“Starting to wonder what was taking you so long,” Gibbs teased as she came back into the bedroom carrying the ice cream. “Where’s mine?”

“Here,” Jack said as she set the water and the pills on the nightstand and pulled the ice cream carton out of the pocket of the robe. “No offense, I don’t really want your germs,” she explained as she handed him a spoon.

“None taken,” he answered as he turned the light back on.

Jack crawled back into bed with her ice cream. “Tell me about it.”

“About what?” Gibbs asked, mouth full of ice cream.

“The small town you grew up in,” Jack said as she moved to sit crossed legged, facing him. She pulled the throw off the end of the bed and spread it out over her lap.

“Stillwater? Not much to tell, pretty boring.”

“Can’t be all that boring,” Jack said, gesturing towards him with her spoon.

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Gibbs snorted.

“Well, maybe compared to this exciting, glamorous life you’re living now, it’s boring. But what was it like when you were younger?” Jack asked, pressing him a little. He had never talked much about his childhood, other than the story he told her of the day President Kennedy was shot. 

“Darling, if you think this is exciting and glamorous, you need to get out more,” Gibbs teased as he motioned around the room. “Okay maybe boring isn’t the right word. I guess the right word is just….small.”

“How small?” Jack asked curiously.

“Couple hundred people, give or take. Been about the same for decades. One stop light, Dad’s store was pretty much the social center of the town when I was little. Everybody knew each other. Adults looked after all the kids in the neighborhood as if they were their own. Which was great until you tried to get away with something. My friends and I always got caught when we tried to do stupid stuff.”

“Seems perfect to me,” Jack said with a little smile.

“Suppose it was, I just couldn’t see it back then. But, looking back now, it was a nice place to grow up. I had a good childhood. Friends, places to play, a sense of belonging, of safety.”

“Sounds like something out of a book. Would love to see it someday,” Jack said as she licked her spoon and dropped it in the bowl.

“Maybe, I haven’t been back in a long time,” Gibbs explained as he ate the last bite of his ice cream and set the empty container on the nightstand. He took the empty bowl Jack held out to him before leaning over and rooting in the drawer of the nightstand for something. He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Jack. She opened it to find some old pictures. With a small excited squeal, she turned on her light and put on her glasses.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes a little at her reaction, which was exactly what he was expecting. “Just look at them, not in the mood to explain them all but I figure you’d like to see them.” He took an Ambien and a drink of water before curling up under the covers.

“Okay,” Jack whispered. She flipped through them, one by one. Most were of a very young and very adorable, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Some with who she assumed were his parents, some of him and his friends. Pictures of him in a baseball uniform and standing by the family car. A few on Christmas morning in front of the tree. Jack looked at them silently, wiping away a few unexpected tears. When she was done, she slipped them back in the envelope and leaned over Gibbs to set them on the nightstand and turn off the light. “Thank you,’ she whispered as she kissed his cheek before settling down next to him.

“You’re welcome,” Gibbs said as he reached to pull her close. “You are the first person who has seen them in, I don’t even know how long,” he admitted. His voice getting raspier, the more he talked.

“Okay, you need to stop talking and get some sleep,” Jack announced as she tucked the blankets around him, much to his amusement. “Wake me if you need anything.”

“Night, Jack,” he whispered as they closed their eyes.

*********

Despite the Ambien, not feeling well and the late hour, Gibbs was still awake at midnight. Jack was sound asleep next to him, an arm thrown carelessly over his chest, hair spread out over her pillow. He carefully slipped out from underneath her and found his robe tossed on the rocking chair in the corner. Pulling on the robe, he quietly he crept out of the room and down the stairs, deftly avoiding the creaky ones without a second thought.

Once downstairs he wandered around for a little while, flipping through the mail which had piled up during the week and drinking another bottle of Gatorade. He was chilly and considered starting a fire, but he was low on firewood inside as the past few nights had been relatively warm and he had no ambition to go outside and get more. 

Gibbs made a cup of tea and curled up on the couch in the dark. As was the norm lately, when he sat still long enough and let his mind wander his thoughts turned to Jack. And given the conversations of the night, they drifted to the “walking the tightrope” line Jack used. There were any number of subjects he felt fit that description, certainly the two they already discussed, the things he was working on with Grace and Ziva. 

“Our whole relationship is a tightrope walk,” he muttered to himself as he took the last sip of his now cold cup of tea.

In his work with Grace he was starting to realize just how hard he was trying to stay upright and keep his balance. Both in his relationship with Jack and in his life in general. Not that he was complaining though, both things were more than worth the effort. Talking and the meds were helping, he readily admitted that was the case. But there were moments, usually in the quiet of the night, where he got stuck in his own head and wondered where it was all heading. 

Now, after a long week, in the wee hours of the morning, feverish and exhausted was just one of those times when he had too many thoughts running around in his head.

“Screw it,” he muttered as he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the kitchen and the Bourbon. He limited himself to a large mouthful, placing the bottle back on the fridge, shoved back further than usual. Bourbon, combined with a nasty sore throat, turned out to be a bad idea. One which resulted in a coughing fit he was sure would wake Jack. Somehow it didn’t and by the time he’d calmed himself down and stopped coughing he was past exhausted.

And still, as the clock turned 1:00, he was awake. He was curled up in the corner of the couch, miserable.

About the same time Jack woke up. She blindly reached out to the other side of the bed and came up with nothing but a handful of cool sheets. Within a second she was wide awake. The bathroom door was open, the soft glow of the nightlight spilling out into the hallway. The nightlight was a reminder of Finn, Gibbs had bought it when he realized the boy wasn’t exactly fond of the dark. Jack crept out of bed and reached for the robe which she’d left on the rocking chair. Finding it missing she pulled a hoodie off the back of the door and slipped it over her head before going to find the wayward Gibbs. She checked the other bedroom, sometimes he ended up in there, usually sitting on the window seat, looking out over the quiet street. The room was empty, no sign that’d Gibbs had been in there recently.

As she hit the top of the stairs, she could hear the television was on but she didn’t hear any other sounds so she crept down carefully. She was quickly learning where the creaky steps were. As the living room came into her line of sight she found her missing…whatever he was. Huddled in the corner of the couch under a blanket he glanced up when he heard her coming.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked softly as she came into the room. She got the fully expected shrug of his shoulders as he pulled one hand out from under the blanket and ran it over his face. Jack turned on the floor lamp in the corner of the room before leaning over the back of the couch to get a good look at Gibbs. His hair was sticking up and she pressed her hand against his sweaty forehead, pulling back at the heat radiating off of him. She came around the end of the couch as he pulled up his feet to give her room to sit down. “Okay sweetie, you look miserable,” Jack whispered as she sat cross legged in front of him. She reached to put her hands on his knees. He dropped his head down a little and Jack kissed the top of his head. He took a few deep breaths and sat back up. Jack grabbed his cell off the coffee table to check the time. “Too soon for more Advil, do you have Tylenol?”

“Don’t think so. Wait, maybe there’s some upstairs, not sure,” he muttered, not having a whole lot of luck stringing together a complete sentence.”

“Let me check,” Jack said as she patted his shoulder before running back up the stairs. A quick glance in the medicine cabinet yielded a box of Children’s Tylenol, left over from when Finn had been sick and Gibbs had volunteered to watch him. Finding nothing else, Jack figured she could put her seldom used math skills to work and figure out how many grape flavored tablets would be appropriate. She grabbed the thermometer and headed back downstairs. “Do you have a drink?” she asked, as she hit the bottom step.

“Nope,” came the very raspy reply from the living room.

Jack reappeared in the living room a minute later armed with supplies. “Here,” she said, handing Gibbs the thermometer as she took a seat on the coffee table. She had thought ahead and grabbed a pair of reading glasses she found on the kitchen table, figuring she would need them for both the thermometer and the box of Tylenol. The thermometer beeped and he handed it back to her before pulling the blanket back up over him. “101.9. Going in the wrong direction there, Cowboy. Let’s see what we can do about that.” She flipped over the box of pills to read the dosing information.

“What the hell are you trying to give me Jack?” he asked with a wary look at the box in her hand.

“This is the only thing you have. Let me do a little math and I promise not to kill you,” she teased with a smirk.

“Great,” he muttered. Jack pointed in the direction of the bottle of Gatorade and he picked it up and took a few sips. She counted out the pills and handed them over. He took them without further comment. “Eww, Finn was right when he said these were gross,” he muttered as he took another drink.

“What can I do for you?” Jack asked as she scooted to the edge of the coffee table, tapping his knee to get his attention.

“Don’t know,” Gibbs muttered as he pushed the covers back, unable to decide if he was hot or cold at the moment. He tugged at his t-shirt a little realizing it was a little damp.

“How about a dry shirt?” Jack offered.

“Yeah. There’s a load in the dryer, just grab something.”

Jack went into the laundry room, reaching for the pull string to turn on the light. She dragged the load from the dryer, shoving the clothes in the basket she’d nearly tripped over when she entered the room. She pulled the first t-shirt she could find, to her amusement it was one Phineas had picked out for Gibbs on a trip to the mall the 3 had taken shortly before their lives were changed completely. Jack smiled at the memory as she turned the light back out, tucked the shirt under her arm and picked up the basket.

“Iron Man?” Gibbs whined.

“It’s clean and it’s long sleeved, quit complaining,” Jack teased as she tossed it in his general direction after setting the basket down by the fireplace. He slipped off his plain white t-shirt and tossed it on the floor, garnering a cluck of the tongue and eye roll from Jack. 

“Don’t start clucking your tongue at me, you sound like Ducky,” Gibbs snorted as he pulled the shirt on over his head. “Any sweatpants in there?” Jack found the requested item and handed it to him. “You can sit, you know,” Gibbs muttered as Jack stood in front of the couch, basically standing over him.

“Sorry. I will in a minute. You need anything else?”

“Don’t think so,” he whispered, what little voice he had left dying quickly.

“Close your eyes, I’ll be right back,” Jack said she picked up the shirt he’d tossed on the floor. She used the bathroom and wet a washcloth with cool water.

Not surprising, Gibbs was still sitting up, eyes open, when she got back, but he had turned out the light, leaving the room lit only by the streetlight outside. She sat down next to him and gently wiped his face. “Better?” she asked. He just nodded. Jack settled down in the corner of the L of the couch, his pillow in her lap. Gibbs curled up with a small grateful smile. Jack set the cool cloth on his forehead and rested her other hand on his chest.

Much to Jack’s surprise he was asleep within 15 minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can honestly say I have been to Stillwater PA. My stepmother is from there and I can say without a doubt, it is boring!!! And nobody there looks like Gibbs!!


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs woke up to the sound of the morning paper landing on the front porch. The sun was just starting to come up. Jack was sound asleep, curled up in the far corner of the couch. He sat up slowly, trying to take stock of how he was feeling.

Ten seconds later, he had his answer, he still felt like crap. Throat hurt, head was foggy but on the plus side, he was pretty sure his temperature was somewhere in the vicinity of normal. He reached for the bottle of Gatorade and finished it in a few large gulps, wincing as he realized that wasn’t the best idea. He slowly pushed himself to his feet and headed for the bathroom. Jack woke up when she heard the bathroom door close. She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes, keeping an ear out for Gibbs.

She started the coffee maker, pulled the newspaper off the front porch and read the headlines. Having heard nothing from Gibbs she headed down the hall and knocked lightly on the bathroom door. “You okay?”

“Been better,” he answered as he reached to unlatch the door. He was standing at the sink, wiping a towel over his face. Jack snuck in and reached to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Sit,” she said as she took the towel from him and closed the toilet seat. He sat down with a sigh. “Did you sleep at all?” Jack asked. Gibbs gave a little nod. She leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead. “A little cooler. So, what’s up? Did you get sick?”

“No, false alarm. I drank the rest of the Gatorade too fast. I’m okay, no need to worry,” he teased as he raked a hand through his messy hair.

“Well, I can’t exactly turn off the worrying,” Jack teased right back as she held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. “You want coffee?” she asked as they headed down the hall.

“Yeah.”

“Take you temperature before the coffee,” Jack suggested. Gibbs gave a little glare but did follow her suggestion. 

“99.4,” he announced as he reached for a coffee mug.

“Good, coming down,” Jack said with a smile as she poured his coffee.

They sat in the kitchen for a while, with the coffee and the newspaper. Jack made a pot of oatmeal; Gibbs ate enough to keep her from worrying too much. 

“I’m going to go up and shower,” Jack said as she poured the last bit of coffee into Gibb’s mug. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head and patted his shoulder as she left the room.

When Jack headed upstairs Gibbs grabbed his laptop off the ironing board. He checked the time on the microwave and booted it up. He had a semi standing Skype date with Tony on Saturday mornings. He loaded the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and took his pills along with 2 Advil. He heard the Skype alert go off and took the laptop and a bottle of Gatorade into the living room to settle down on the couch.

“Hey Boss,” Tony said, his familiar and comforting smile coming into view.

“Not your Boss,” Gibbs said. It was the same way they started every conversation, Skype or cell phone. 

“Okay, good morning Gibbs, you look like crap,” Tony said as he picked up his coffee mug and gave a mock salute to the man he would always consider to be his boss.

“Yeah, was a rough night,” Gibbs admitted as he picked up the Gatorade and took a sip.

“Can tell by your voice and what the hell are you drinking?” Tony teased.

“Gatorade,” Gibbs answered, holding the bottle up in front of the camera.

“Finn get you to take a step away from the coffee?” Tony teased. Gibbs just gave a little nod. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s doing well. Settling in. Jack and I will probably go up and see him over the summer.”

“Making plans for months in the future with a woman, that doesn’t sound like you,” Tony teased.

“I know, not sure I recognize myself anymore,” Gibbs muttered as he set the laptop on the coffee table for a minute so he could toss the blanket over his lap. 

“She’s good for you, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I do. And things are back to where they were before I killed Sahar. Comfortable, easy, familiar.”

“But not any further?” Tony asked, without any teasing. 

“No, it’s…it’s a tightrope thing, I think, I don’t know,” Gibbs muttered. 

“Okay, not making a whole lot of sense, Gibbs. Sure you’re not running a really high fever?” Tony smirked.

“Fever’s coming down, thanks for your concern,” Gibbs deadpanned. “Okay, we have these certain “tightrope” subjects, things we have to balance . One of them is my mental health, I try to leave that up to Grace. Another one is….uh,” Gibbs trailed off, not quite able to finish his thought.

“Ziva?” Tony guessed. Gibbs just nodded. “It’s okay Jethro. I understand. Ziva understands too. I mean, she blew back into your life, into NCIS. Jack felt pushed aside and scared to death for your safetly. I don’t blame her.” Gibbs smiled, both at Tony’s understanding and the use of his first name. 

“I know. And the biggest tightrope thing is, where is this whole relationship going? It’s a balancing act. On both our parts. Kind of afraid to fall,” Gibbs admitted with a sigh.

“Why? Afraid you’ll break a hip?” Tony teased. Gibbs just snorted and rolled his eyes. “You know you have people who will catch you if you fall, right?” Tony asked sincerely.

“Yeah, I know that. And thanks for being one of them,” Gibbs answered, his voice raspy but uncharacteristically soft.

“You’re welcome,” Tony said with a little salute.

“So, enough about me and Jack, how are Ziva and Tali?” Gibbs asked, anxious to change the direction of the conversation. Lucky for him, Tony loved nothing more than to talk about his “girls”.

Jack took her time in the shower, giving her a Gibbs a little space. She pulled on a pair of jeans from her bag and a flannel shirt she grabbed out of the clean laundry basket. As she took the sheets off the bed and threw them into a pile in the hallway she heard Gibbs talking, she figured he was on the phone but noticed his cell was sitting on the dresser, plugged into the charger. A smile came across her face when she realized he must be on Skype with Tony.

She grabbed the laundry basket and headed downstairs. Gibbs was sitting on the couch, feet on the coffee table, laptop balanced on his knees. She gave him a smile as she headed for the laundry room.

“Jack, come say hi,” Gibbs called as he heard her walking around the kitchen, clearly giving him some privacy.

She came into the living room and leaned over the back of the couch. “Hey Tony,” she said as Gibbs adjusted the angle of the laptop so Tony could see her face. “How’s the family?” she asked, draping her arm over Gibbs’ chest and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Perfect,” Tony answered with a big grin. Seeing his former boss so relaxed and happy meant the world to him. With her little voice calling for her Daddy, Tali bounded into the frame with a smile which matched Tony’s. She climbed into her father’s lap and pointed towards the computer.

“Uncle Gibbs and Jack,” she said, pointing excitedly. She showed off her missing tooth and chatted for a few minutes about their recent trip to the zoo. Eventually Tali wandered off in search of Ziva. The three of them chatted for a minute and Jack stepped away to let Gibbs and Tony finish up their conversation.

“Have a nice chat?” Jack asked when Gibbs wandered into the kitchen after ending the call with Tony.

“Yep. And yes, before you ask, we talked about you,” he teased as he hoped up to sit on the counter.

“Wasn’t going to ask. I’m sure you talk about me, about us. That’s what you do with friends Jethro,” Jack teased as she moved to stand in front of him. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her towards him enough to press a kiss to her forehead.

“So, do you really want to see it?” Gibbs asked as Jack took a sip of her water. Her head shot up and she snorted a very uncomfortable amount of water out her nose. Gibbs let out a snort of his own, proud of his well-timed inquiry. He handed her a paper towel and waited for her to compose herself.

“See what?” Jack asked as calmly and with as straight a face as she could manage.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Stillwater, I’m talking about Stillwater,” he said with a big goofy grin.

“Yes, I would love to see where you came from,” Jack answered simply.

“Then we’ll go over the summer, maybe when we go see Finn,” Gibbs suggested.

“Perfect,” Jack agreed as she heard the washer stop. She went to move the clothes over while Gibbs went up to take a shower.

**********

The morning passed by slowly, Gibbs read for a while, worked in the basement for a while. Jack kept busy, puttering around the house. The laundry got folded and put away, the dishwasher emptied. She talked to Ducky, who seemed to have developed a sixth sense when it came to Gibbs not doing well. He promised to call later to check in on him. 

Jack pulled her laptop out of her work bag and set it up at the kitchen table to do a little mindless web surfing and a little online shopping. About lunchtime she realized she hadn’t heard much from the basement, so she went down to check on things. 

“You still alive down here?” she called from the top of the stairs.

“Yep, come on down,” Gibbs called with a chuckle.

Jack went down the stairs to see what he was up to. She found him sitting at the workbench, he didn’t really seem to be working on anything. There were a few scattered hand tools in front of him, along with an ever-present bottle of Gatorade. The small albums with his projects were spread out next to him, seemed like he’d been looking through them.

“Whatcha doing?” Jack asked as she stood next to him, resting a hand on his back. She got the fully expected shrug of his shoulders. Rather than push him to talk, Jack just rubbed his back a little, giving him space and if he decided to talk, time to get his thoughts together. He didn’t start a conversation and that was really fine with her. “You hungry?” she eventually asked as he pushed himself to his feet and started to pace a little.

“I think so,” he eventually answered as he motioned for her to head up the stairs. 

Jack opened the fridge, hunting around for something Gibbs might feel like eating. “Grilled cheese?” she asked, finding a package of Kraft singles in the drawer.

“Only if you like your bread with penicillin on it,” Gibbs snorted as he pulled a loaf of moldy bread out of the bread box. He tossed it in the trashcan and leaned against the counter.

“You need to go to the store,” she pointed out, unnecessarily.

“That was on my TO DO list,” he smirked. “I’ll order lunch from the diner. What do you want?”

“Grilled chicken sandwich and fries. And I’ll pick it up,” she offered.

“Deal,” he answered as he started to hunt around for his cell phone.

“It’s on your dresser,” Jack said when she realized what he was looking for. She tossed her phone to him and he used that to order their food.

********

“Hey Jack, you here alone?” Elaine asked as Jack walked into the dinner half an hour later.

“Yeah, he called in an order. Not feeling so great today,” Jack explained.

“Yeah, he didn’t look too good last night. Order will be up in a few, you want a drink?”

“Iced tea would be great,” Jack said as she slid onto a stool at the counter. 

Elaine set a glass of iced tea and the sugar dispenser in front of her. They chatted for a few minutes, the diner was busy but Elaine had long since mastered the art of multitasking.

“Here you go honey,” the older woman said as she set a bag on the counter in front of Jack. “There’s a piece of chocolate cake in there too. You take care of him,” she said with a smile.

“Always Elaine,” Jack replied with a smile as he grabbed the bag. “See you soon,” she called over her shoulder.

**********

While Jack was out getting the food, Gibbs ventured outside and grabbed some firewood. The day was sunny but a little chillier than it had been so he started what would probably be one of the last fires of the season. He was sitting on the stool in front of the fire when he heard Jack come in the front door.

“Honey, I’m home,” she called with a laugh.

“Cute,” Gibbs called over his shoulder as he pushed himself to his feet. 

They set out their lunch on the coffee table so they could enjoy the fire. Gibbs ate most of his grilled cheese and soup, stealing some of Jack’s fries too. She was happy to see his appetite seemed to be okay. He was certainly drinking enough but she was still glad Ducky was planning on checking up on him later, a fact she hadn’t bothered mentioning yet.

After they finished eating, Jack sent Gibbs to rest on the couch after he practically fell asleep sitting on the floor. She made some tea for both of them, not sure if he would still be awake by the time the water boiled. 

By some miracle, he was still awake.

They drank their tea and gossiped a bit about their team, not that there was a whole lot to gossip about. 

“Why don’t you rest for a little while,” Jack suggested as she took his empty mug from him. 

“Yeah, guess I didn’t sleep all that well,” he muttered as he pulled the throw off the back of the couch. “You’ll stay for a while?” he whispered as he set a pillow in her lap and curled up.

“Well, now I’m kind of stuck here, aren’t I?” Jack teased as she brushed back his hair. “I’ll stay for a little while. Then I need to head out. I have some errands to run. You’ll be okay by yourself?”

“Jack as you’re fond of saying, I’m a “grown ass man”, I’m sure I’ll be just fine by myself,” he snorted.

“True. And besides, Ducky’s calling you later to check on you. Don’t be surprised if he comes over,” she said with a smirk.

“Did you call him?” he asked, trying to sound annoyed but coming up quite short.

“I didn’t, he called me. Did you talk to him yesterday?” Gibbs just thought about it and then nodded. “He heard your raspy voice,” Jack guessed. Gibbs just nodded again. “Well, live with his concern. He’s just one in a long line of people who will be there to catch you if you fall,” Jack whispered, using the words she’d overheard Tony use earlier.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” he whispered before closing his eyes.

“You’re welcome Jethro,” Jack whispered back as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He was considerably cooler than he had been in 18 hours. “Sleep.”

Once they stopped talking, Gibbs was asleep in a matter of minutes. Jack stayed for a while, longer than she had really planned but curled up on the couch with Gibbs was one of her favorite places to be.

Eventually she knew she had to get moving if she was going to be able to get her errands done before midnight. She carefully slid out from under Gibbs, pulling the blanket back around him. 

Jack dropped her bag by the front door and headed to the kitchen to grab a piece of paper to leave Gibbs a note. She quickly wrote it and put it on the coffee table, next to the thermometer and a bottle of Gatorade. With one last kiss to his forehead, she headed for home.

*******

Gibbs woke up a little after 3:00. The fire had all but died out and he was alone. He sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. Glancing at the coffee table he took a drink and grabbed the note.

_Call me later._

_Drink something_

_Take some Advil_

_Be nice to Ducky_

_Jack_

Gibbs just smiled, stood up and walked to put the note in the box on the mantle, the one which held THE RULES.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for the kudos and comments.


End file.
